Tuesday, 24 August 2010

We are in the process of establishing our new premises at the newly refurbished Barras Centre and setting up our Made in the Shade HQ in the way we'd always dreamed we would. Our new space allows us to set up a fully functional office on our mezzanine floor PLUS we have ample space to host our programme of creative workshops, talks and social events. Better still, we now have the perfect, permanent home for our all-new shopping experience. These are exciting times.

It seems such a long time ago since the first Made in the Shade event took place at The Lighthouse. It's not that long ago really, but so much has changed in the city and the craft scene has grown and developed at a crazy rate in these past three years that it's hard to remember a time when craft markets were few and far between and 'handmade' was a dirty word. Glasgow now boasts a healthy calendar of fun, quality events for crafty types and vintage lovers and the interest in making, mending, making do and living it up vintage style has increased dramatically. Hooray!

While this is very good news for the good people of Glasgow and for designer makers and vintage sellers all over, for Made in the Shade it means it's time to get to work on some new projects and time to overhaul existing ones. Exciting!

Saturday marked the end of a chapter for us. Our Summertime Hop at The Lighthouse was the last in the series of the Made in the Shade Boutique Shopping Event in Glasgow. And what a lovely farewell shindig it turned out to be!

Thanks so much to the 40+ vendors who set up shop with us. Thank you to the 1789 (very specific!) customers who took the time to come visit. Thank you to Hana at Benefit for adding an extra special touch of retro glamour to the whole affair and to Auntie M for packing up the Cake Lounge and making sure everyone's sugar cravings were satisfied. Kirsty Anderson (aka Wooden Tree) did a sterling job as our workshop hostess! It was a joy to see visitors (small and big) wandering around The Lighthouse sporting their handmade fox and owl masks. Fabulous. Thank you to Much Too Fun and Emily Moir and thanks too to 61 Steps South for choosing Made in the Shade as the launch platform for their new projects and collaborations. We hope you had a lovely time and that the experience was a productive one.

There are a load more people we'd like to mention. Special thanks to Nikki Kane - our wonderful event volunteer. Nikki did an excellent job and we couldn't have managed to get everything organised without the addition of her capable hands! Thanks to Jennifer, Laura and the team at The Lighthouse for their continued support. Thanks to Ken, John, Jennifer and Garry for helping out at this event (and all the others!) Thanks to Claire at The List, Alex at The Skinny, Rachel at The Evening Times and to all the other bloggers and social networkers who helped promote the event and who continue to take an interest in what we're up to!

I am absolutely sure that I've missed some folk out (too many to list by name!) - but rest assured we're super, SUPER grateful for your help and support.

So. Glasgow. We hope you've enjoyed our Made in the Shade events. We hope that we've been able to offer a little something special from season to season and we hope that you will be just as excited by our new event ventures as we are. It's Made in the Shade - but not as we know it. We'll be back with a new shopping experience for y'all in December 2010. Keep your peepers peeled!

Sunday, 8 August 2010

With just under 2 weeks until The Summertime Hop and Made in the Shade's final Glasgow fling under its current guise, we thought it about time we unveiled this season's wonderful vendor line-up! Get a loada this!

Creators of everyone's favourite Scottish Slang jewellery collection, Bonnie Bling, set up shop at The Summertime Hop. These ladies all but sold out of their fabulous 'Och' brooches and 'Peely Wally' necklaces last time round, so y'all best visit their stall fast! The ladies are also launching their all-new collaborative project with creative chum Emily Moir on 21st August :) We're proud to help 'em celebrate their union!
2. Morag Macpherson Textiles

Previously known as 'Global Guru', textile designer Morag Macpherson offers a selection of luxurious handmade wearables and homewares inspired by the palettes and textures of far flung places!

Made in the Shade gal Clare sets up shop at The Summertime Hop. You know those beautiful little lavender birds y'all love so much? Clare made those! She's also the creator of a whole collection of soft furnishings, homewares and stationery items. Be sure to drop by and see her brand new collection as it makes its Made in the Shade debut! 6. The Night Owl

Fast becoming a Made in the Shade favourite, designer maker Ellen Munro creates a range of handmade accessories and homewares all with a super-pretty, folksy flavour.7. Magic Alice

Magic Alice aka jewellery and accessories maker Jennifer Field quite simply, makes pretty things! From button badges to fun rings and brooches - all of 'em pretty as a picture!

Emily sets up shop with us to showcase her fabulous range of handmade wearables and homewares AND to launch a brand spanking new collection of work in collaboration with Much Too Fun. We cannot WAIT to see it!

According to jewellery and accessories maker Jennifer, fantoosherie is the new black. We'd be inclined to agree with her! Look out for upcycled fabrics and found objects in Jennifer's range of handmade wearables. We particularly love her textile necklaces!

10. FrajulKnitwear designer Julie McConnachie joins us at Made in the Shade for a Summertime Hop double-take following her Made in the Shade debut in Edinburgh last month. Be sure to get acquainted with her growing range of colourful, quirky knitted accessories.

12. Hingmy by Flore

Hingmy by Flore offers Made in the Shade visitors a range of calico bags and badges, all made in textiles and inspired by the great Russian avant-garde artists.

Paleface (Catherine Barthram) makes clothes and accessories using a combination of re-purposed, vintage and new materials. She designs and makes beautiful dresses, tops, jackets, corsages and purses amongst other things ;)

Rosie reminds us of the loveliness of handstitching and the odd little thoughts that cross our minds! She presents her collection of cushions, bags, purses and odd little soft things inspired by real-life stories at Made in the Shade! Peas please! (You'll see).

Did you see Lindsay's Home Sweet Home exhibit in our Tiny Gallery? Did you? This season at Made in the Shade Lindsay showcases a selection of illustrated ceramic earrings, brooches, fancy tiles, plates AND prints and illustrations. Giddy just thinking about it...

Libby Walker is ALL about pattern, pattern pattern! This is her first foray into Made in the Shade land so be sure to offer a warm welcome. Peruse Libby's beautiful collection of bright fabric designs and prints. She makes 'em into fabulous notebooks, stationery, art and upholstery for upcycled furniture and much, much more :)

Jennifer Lemon is a textile artist who produces a variety of work. Whether you are in the market for a large-scale art piece for your home or work place or a unique necklace, Lemonart can meet your requirements. Love maps? Love Lemonart.

Kabloom is a small product design firm based in Glasgow. These dudes specialise in eco-friendly, ethical, innovative products. Seedbom is a flippin' wonderful guerilla gardening product that we - quite simply - can't get enough of!

26. 61 Steps South

Darren Kabloom moonlights as one half of this new design project alongside photographer Susan Castillo. Together the pair make up 61 Steps South. The creative super-team launch the design label's first product, 'Treet' exclusively at Made in the Shade this season. Setting out to blur those lines between design & craft (hoorah!) 61 Steps South create decorative and functional products that are playful, classic and innovative!

Totally immersed in vintage lifestyle in all aspects of her life, Charlotte Newell presents her collection of 1940s/1950s reproduction and vintage inspired clothing designs to the retro hungry Made in the Shade clientele!

Based upon an eco-friendly ethos, Almost Vintage Clothing specialise in pretty vintage, new and nearly new retro garments. Almost Vintage gals Mari & Ivanna will be showcasing a range of their current vintage line at Made in the Shade this season! More interested in style over label clout, look out for purty frocks and gorgeous prints and patterns!

31. Summer of Love

Samantha Kennedy is the textile designer behind craft outfit Summer of Love. With a penchant for vintage style, Samantha incorporates found objects and reclaimed fabrics and finishings into her designs. Summer of Love presents her range of accessories at Made in the Shade for the very first time :)

Illustrator Elaine Eckford also makes her Made in the Shade debut at The Lighthouse this month. Mixing childlike aesthetic with darker undertones, Elaine's work is truly beguiling! She prints and cuts her own pieces and when she makes pretty little art books, she binds those herself too! Not to be bypassed.

We are pleased to welcome jewellery designer Erica Stahl to Made in the Shade! Based around floral and insect themes, Erica produces a beautiful range of earrings, cufflinks, necklaces and bracelets. When she's not metalsmithing, Erica also tinkers with textiles, producing a lovely assortment of wearables and items for the home.

Whoopeee! One of our original Made in the Shaders, Kim Diamond, returns to the event for one last jaunt at The Lighthouse before we do the off! You remember Kim - she's the gal who makes the wonderful guilt-free taxidermy pieces, 'lil owls, textile robots and other fabulous creatures and creations!

35. Hot Tam-Ali Vintage
Stylish mamas Ali Moore and Tami Rex join us at The Lighthouse. We've been trying to get these ladies onto our vendor line-up for AGES! Specialising in 1940s and 1950s frocks, Hot Tam-Ali Vintage is definitely one 'lil booth to be visiting on your Made in the Shade shopping journey!

36. Flossy & DossyMade in the Shade favourite Wendy Harman (aka Flossy & Dossy) joins us for a final frock-off at The Lighthouse. Whoop! Wendy designs and makes a beautiful range of clothing all based around the styles and shapes of bygone eras. We're excited to see Wendy's latest offering too - mother and baby ranges! :) Can you believe it? How cute?!

37. YHF Photo

Everybody's favourite photoman, Garry Maclennan, sets up shop at Made in the Shade. Garry will be showcasing a new collection of work and quirky items for the home including fridge art, wood mounted retro interiors images and prints.

38. Lady Wurlitzer

Purveyor of fine lather (and Made in the Shade gal) Carrie Maclennan brings the soap show BACK to Made in the Shade for a final sudsy send off!

39. Inner Wild
We met Flora at one of our early Made in the Shade events at The Lighthouse in 2008. She presented me with the loveliest 'thank you' gift - a handknitted slug! He lives in my bookcase. We are thrilled to have Flora return to The Lighthouse with us.

Last, but certainly NOT least... We are thrilled to welcome Auntie M (of De Courcy's Arcade Cake Lounge fame) to The Summertime Hop! Super-baker Michelle Aaron will be offering up a tasty selection of sweet treats for y'all to nibble as you shop or to take home and enjoy later!

Wednesday, 4 August 2010

We may be up to our shoulders in paint and plaster while we renovate The Maisonette, but we're still working our socks off behind the scenes to make sure our Summertime Hop event at The Lighthouse in Glasgow on Saturday 21st August goes off with a bang! :)

This year's Summertime Hop event is extra special in that it'll be the last MITS event in our home town for a while - and the last ever we'll be holding at The Lighthouse. We'll be taking a break until Christmas when we'll be introducing you to a whole new world of Made in the Shade! We're arranging an entirely new calendar of events - new venue, new approach. It's time to shake things up! It's Made in the Shade, Jim. But not as we know it.

On 21st August, we'll be setting up shop in the beautiful level 1 exhibition space at The Lighthouse. We can't WAIT! The room is amazing. With huge windows, high ceilings, bare brick walls and lots of cute nooks and crannies for special features, we're sure you'll love the set up!

Over 40 of Scotland's most talented design makers will join us for a whole day of indie shopping and crafty fun. We'll be publishing a full list of vendors shortly. You can plan your attack in advance! :) Aswell as perusing and purchasing a whole bunch of fabulous handmade wares and vintage treats, we invite you to take part in our drop-in Wooden Tree paper mask workshops and to get in touch with your creative side with some public crafting! We are THRILLED to be joined by some very special guests this season. Benefit Cosmetics - that's, BENEFIT Cosmetics, will be offering y'all free make up lessons and helping you out with our make-up woes in the exclusive Made in the Shade Benefit Beauty Parlour AND... Should you feel a little peckish, pick up some cake (I'd go as far as to say this is quite possibly the best cake in town!) from Auntie M - or nibble some super-cutsie handmade sushi from Joanna Susskind's vintage styled sushi stand!

Do come join us, won't you? We'd like to see your wee faces at The Lighthouse just one last time :) Help us make this event one of our best ever. We'd love to pop out on a high! :)

Monday, 2 August 2010

We can't hold it in any longer. We have news. Big news. And it's not anything to do with any of the big news we've already been banging on about. It's nothing to do with our brand spanking new website. It's nothing to do with our extra 70cms of space at The Maisonette. It's nothing to do with book deals either.

Guess what?

We're opening a second Made in the Shade premises HERE!

This, my friends, is the newly refurbished Barras Centre. And that shiny new unit you can see peeking out there inbetween the two pretty wooden barrows? That's our NEW MADE IN THE SHADE HQ!! Infact, if you squint, you can just about see Clare and I standing outside it :) Billed as Glasgow's new cutting-edge creative quarter, we'll be working alongside Camille Lorigo and some of Scotland's most exciting fashion & design talent to make darned sure the fabulous vision for this East End creative hub comes to fruition!

Made in the Shade premises number 2 will serve as our new office, as an interactive workshop & events space and as a shop. We cannot WAIT to move into our new home and we can't wait for you to come visit us - and our wonderful new neighbours - very, very soon.

Oh phewee. Feels good to have that out there...

Watch this space for further updates and regular wheeping and whooping about it all.